Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in November 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo tested American appetite for the Pokémon phenomenon on the big screen. Adapted from the Japanese original with new footage for Western audiences, it became a cultural marker of the franchise's peak, introducing millions of children to anime pacing and stakes far heavier than the television series had attempted. Its box office success proved Pokémon could anchor a theatrical event, not just a Saturday morning cartoon, and it remains a touchstone for collectors who grew up with the trading cards and games that surrounded its release.
This cell centers on Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose existence drives the film's entire narrative. As the movie's central figure, Mewtwo represents ambition, isolation, and the ethical questions raised by cloning, themes unusually weighty for the genre at the time. A single-character cell like this one isolates that presence without supporting cast, making it a study piece for those drawn to Mewtwo's design and role. For collectors, holding a frame built around this character alone is a way to preserve the film's most enduring symbol in physical form.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm; the strip holds two frames, each with four perforations per frame visible on the top edge and four on the bottom edge.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the picture area, appearing as two bilateral variable-area tracks with a separate digital timecode or data stripe adjacent.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight cyan-blue tint consistent with estar or acetate safety stock; the dye image appears warm and saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light horizontal scratching is visible across both frames consistent with a print that has been projected.
Picture
Positive colour image; the two frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the character and visual style are consistent with the animated film on record.
Era check
The bilateral variable-area optical track, the cyan-tinted safety base, and the dye saturation are all consistent with a 1999-1999 theatrical release print of this title.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
